Lord of Dragons and Riders
by ToiletBrushCat
Summary: A second prophecy about Emrys brings hope to the magical community once the first is broken. Two sides of a coin split. With Merlin set to become the king Arthur never could and help from Kilgharrah Morgana Mordred and the Druids they turn to Alagaësia.
1. Prologue

Lord of Dragons and Riders

Summary: A second prophecy about Emrys brings hope to the magical community once the first is broken. Two sides of a coin split. With Merlin set to become the king Arthur never could and help from Kilgharrah Morgana Mordred and the Druids they turn to Alagaësia.

Prologue

It was a mess.

_Arthur, falling to the side. Merlin, his own magic throwing him back. Both avoiding flames that shot out, yearning to burn them till nothing remained but dust. Arthur again dashing forwards; thrusting forwards. The old scream of pain. Arthur, falling once more, but backwards. Swiped off his feet. Landing on the hardened fire baked ground. Not rising._

One big, irresolvable mess.

_Pain that reflected – resounded through Merlin's own soul at the pain filled roar. Him stepping forwards, gathering all his remaining resolve. Shaking. Facing the old, golden, ferocious creature. Tears quivering, threatening to escape and run down the waxen cheeks. The fierce creature, righting all the wrongs it felt had befallen it, approaching him._

Nothing could ever be the same again.

_Arthur. Ice blue eyes wide, watching helplessly as the golden beast approached his loyal man servant, who had followed him, the supposedly undefeatable young prince, to his death. Merlin suddenly freezing and them his head jerking up to face the monster eye to eye. Words exploding from his servant's lips. Ancient. Beautiful. __**Forbidden**__._

The young boy, almost man, screamed as another wave of pain resonated throughout his senses. The fire licked at his skin, burning it, melting it, sending his mind into one big thing of nothing but pain. Then it was taken away again. Again, again, again. Everything would end, only to begin _again_. How long had it been happening? Hours? Days? Weeks? He did not know. Could not even remember what the concept of time should even mean to him if anything at all.

"Confess." _Confess, confess, confess. _They repeated it over and over, till the word became nothing, meant nothing. And even long before that, he had forgotten what he was supposed to be confessing. He had forgotten how to do anything other than scream and continue to hope, hopelessly hope that each and every time would be the last.

But then it would happen all over again.

The tongues of fire working their way over the already scorched and deformed skin of his back, his fingers, his _body_.

Eventually the pain turned to numbness, and the torture session came to an end as he faded into the dark comfort of unconsciousness. The pain would be back, he knew. For now, however, he would take the opportunity of an, if not brief, recluse into nothing.


	2. Chapter 1

"Talking aloud."  
>"SEVERAL TALKING AT ONCE."<br>"_Taking aloud and within the mind."  
>'Talking into another's mind.'<br>Thinking to themselves._

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><p><span>Lord of Dragons and Riders<span>  
><span>Chapter 1<span>

Kilgharrah, the great dragon, the last of his noble breed, lay curled in a clearing of a forest he had created himself when he had crashed through the canopy of green. Pathetic whimpers escaped his scaled lips at irregular intervals.

_Merlin…_ He knew the bond between a lord and the dragons would become strong over time, what he had not taken into account was that Merlin, in general, never seemed to follow the simple rules that made up the universe as he, and all those knowledgeable knew it to be.

He could feel the burning hurt as Merlin was tortured for crimes against the kingdom he was there to protect. He could feel as the pain would stop only to begin again. And he could feel as the boy finally fell into the comfort of unconsciousness again. The dragon sighed in relief as the torture ceased to reverberate down their bond as lord and dragon.

This had been going on for the last four days, and Kilgharrah had not moved since the first bout of blinding pain had stormed through his mind and left him falling through the sky and onto the root infested ground a mile and a half below. He dare not rise again just to fall once more.

If he could, he would return to Camelot that very instant and tear the place apart to bring the boy with him. Alas, he had been forbidden to attack the place ever again, forbidden by the same kin that was now so blinded by pain, he could not even feel the dragon's attempts to comfort him through their bond.

Suddenly he felt something stir to his right. He immediately sprang to his feet and turned to face whatever threat was about to emerge from the trees in that direction. He pitied whoever it was, for he was far from in a good mood at this time.

What he did not expect, however, was a group of worn looking people stepping out from the shadows and one by one falling to their knees, bowing before him. And then it occurred to him. These were not soldiers, here for another attempt to strike him down. These were his own kind. Magic people. Druids.

"_Rise_…" He called out to them, letting the word echo through their minds as well as speaking it aloud. Each of them slowly stood on their feet and made a curved line so all of them could be seen. And then the smallest among them stepped forwards. He was smallest by far, for he was only a child whilst all the others were adults, not having brought their families with them for this meeting.

The child lowered his hood, and Kilgharrah reeled back a little. It was him. The one from the prophecy. The one who would destroy Arthur and Merlin's destiny.

'_Mordred_.' He spoke in recognition into the child's mind. Mordred would cause the prophecy to fail, but then again, maybe his own actions had already caused that.

Arthur had still been conscious when Merlin had been forced to use his inherited dragon lord skills. And, the prince being his father's son through and through, he had told the King of everything that had occurred. Merlin had no sooner returned to Gaius' waiting arms, to be torn from them and thrown into the castle's dungeons.

They now tortured the boy, his kin, trying to wrestle all the secrets from his slowly breaking mind. Who had helped him? Who else used magic? How had he planned to destroy Camelot? Who had set free the dragon? ...

If only he had not been so stubborn in getting his vengeance on Camelot. He _knew_ he would not succeed if the prophecy was to come true, but still insisted that he was entitled to retribution for his imprisonment.

Now Merlin was paying the price for the dragon's actions.

'_Kilgharrah._' Mordred responded through their mind link. '_You saw me as the one who would break Emrys' destiny, but it is you who has driven me to such an act. I will not sit by and allow my brother in magic, in all but blood, be treated in such a manor. I will rescue him. And you __**will**__ help.'_

Kilgharrah roared in fury at the disrespect being thrown at him in his own mind. The child _dared_ order _him _around? However the dragon thought things through with a heavy heart. He knew deep down, there was no way he could leave Merlin to the tortures that were befalling him, but at the same time, he could not willingly risk the future of the prophesy. _But I have already done that…_ He thought.

All the druids, but Mordred, had backed up at the display of the golden beast's rage. He now allowed himself to calm a little, and stalked forwards a step, lowering his head to look the boy straight in the eyes.

"You _dare_ to speak in such a manor to me? …But it does show your courage and bravery, if not your resolve to help my kin… You ask of me – no _demand_ my help, but I am all but useless. The last dragon lord has let his will known, that I am never to attack Camelot again, on pain of my own death." All the druids seemed to relax a little as they heard the calmer response to their youngest' commands.

"There will be no need for your attack on Camelot, Great Dragon." The apparent leader said, stepping forth, and bowing deeply in respect. "You may not be aware, as you had already been imprisoned at this point, but there was a second prophecy made concerning Emrys." He shifted uncomfortably under the dragon's sudden intense stare. "The prophecy foretells of a better life for all those with magic."

"Should the first path close, a new shall open  
>And all those his kin, will be a welcome"<p>

"Over sea in the distance, shall be their new land  
>Through hardship and harmony, home beyond the sands."<p>

"The Witch and The Breakers shall prise apart  
>Two sides of a coin, no longer together in heart."<p>

"And never again, shall those two sides meet  
>For a greater destiny awaits Emrys…"<p>

"AS OUR NEW KING"

Each of the druids had stepped forth in turn to stand beside Mordred as they each spoke a part of the prophecy. All of them finished speaking together. The child, however, remained silent and continued to stare at Kilgharrah, waiting for his response. Surprisingly he remained calm and picked the prophecy apart in his mind. He had always known Merlin was meant for great things, however to have two prophecies of this magnitude… even he had not expected this.

"The Witch…" He finally pondered aloud. "The Witch I believe refers to Lady Morgana, ward of the King." The druids looked up sharply. "And The Breakers, I suppose, are you and me." He continued, staring pointedly at Mordred. "The breakers of the previous prophecy." The boy nodded his head in agreement. "And you…" The dragon said, rounding on the leader, "what do you mean I do not need to attack Camelot?"

"You… that is, we will go in and save Emrys, we need you to wait out of sight to get him out of there after we have freed him from his imprisonment." The dragon chuckled darkly. **(1)**

"You think things will be that simple? You are bigger fools than I thought. The child has been tortured to within a terrible degree of his sanity. And the prophecy speaks of Morgana joining us. We must go to her first, if this rescue attempt is to succeed." The druid nodded his consent. "Now who do you plan to send?" Mordred stepped forth.

"I will go. My brother needs me."

"That is but one against an army. Who else shall go?"

"There are others we already have within Camelot's walls. We believe it time that they forgo their aliases and complete a mission. They are the reason we found out of Emrys' plight so quickly. They will help get Mordred in, and once inside shall help a plan form."

The Great Dragon bowed his head in consent. There was much to do; Morgana to employ and convince of their cause, and Merlin to save. Only then could the new prophecy be set into motion.

"_Then let us begin._"

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><p><strong>(1)<strong> For those of you who know what this means: this is a - Charlie is so cool like - reference. For those who don't know, don't worry bout it!


	3. Chapter 2

Huge thanks to **Uchiha Bara** and **CharmStone127** for their reviews on the prologue and first chapter!

* * *

><p>"Talking aloud."<br>"SEVERAL TALKING AT ONCE."  
><em>"Taking aloud and within the mind."<br>'Talking into another's mind.'  
>Thinking to themselves.<em>

* * *

><p><span>Lord of Dragons and Riders<span>  
><span>Chapter 2<span>

Morgana dreamt. She dreamt of a strange land where strange people were at war with their own king, and strange creatures joined the rebellion in their plight against his tyrant ways. Extraordinary people, human in shape, but far too fair and elegant to be of such meagre heritage, their features angular, and ears tapered to a point and eyes bright like gems glimmering in a flames light. Peculiar short folk, men with beards down to their toes and women sturdier and yet beautiful in their own right, all downed in armour that moved as smoothly as liquid over their stocky bodies. Monstrous figures, again, similar to a human, but terrifyingly grotesque, their humanoid forms sported gray skin and sickly yellow eyes, bearing horns upon their head as proudly as if they were crowns.

However what tore her from her dream in pure fright was the clashing of two dragons. One blue, one red. Each with a man on their backs clutching swords matching the beasts they rode in colour. Sapphire and blood.

-x-

She sat up with a start, a cry breaking past her lips, and then she slumped back onto the surface she had previously slept on in weakness. She felt so weak, like she had not eaten in days. And then _she_ was at her side. Her sister Morgause wiped a damp cloth across her forehead and stroked her hair lovingly.

"Morgana… how are you feeling?" Her worried eyes studied the just awakened Morgana closely.

"…don't feel so good." Morgana admitted, her voice croaking, ripping at her dry throat like sand paper. Immediately the blonde summoned a cup of clear water and helped the other sorceress sit up and sip from the goblet. Once the glass was empty, she helped her lay back down. "What happened?" Morgana asked, her voice now flowing from her mouth with ease.

"You were poisoned." Her sister responded, an ugly expression of pure fury flitting across her otherwise stunning features. She opened her mouth to continue, but a knock came from the direction of the door to the small hut that she seemed to have taken them to whilst Morgana recovered. She fell silent and motioned for the weakened witch to remain quiet as well.

Slowly she skulked up to the door, and then opened it sharply to reveal a man. He was cloaked, and the hood hid his face from view making Morgause even more cautious, raising her arms, a spell's words on the tip of her tongue if its use was needed. The man however raised his arms slowly in a gesture of peace and then slipped the material off of his head to reveal his face to the blonde. He was a druid, but not just any druid, their leader. Looking over in the direction of the still bed bound Morgana; he bowed slightly in her direction before turning back to the blonde.

"Morgause." He said nodding his head in greeting, and she stepped aside, allowing him to enter peacefully.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of company tonight, Elder?" She asked softly, letting her guard down only a little now that she knew his identity, but made sure that she was between him and her sister.

"I mean you no harm." He said idly, his eyes not missing her defensiveness. "I have come to inform you that the 'first path' has closed, so to speak..."

"Stop your riddles, and explain yourself!" Morgana struggled to sit up behind her sister, scared of how the situation was heading.

"Morgause... you always were much too impatient." He sighed heavily. "The first prophecy has failed and the second has been set into motion. The great dragon wishes to speak with your sister, he believes she has a part in the events that are to come."

"What! Morgana will do no such thing! She's still recovering from that disgusting _manservant's_ poison!" She hissed out.

"Never the less, she must come. It is not far, Kilgharrah lies in the forest just north of here."

"A dragon in a forest? After all those years of imprisonment, he has decided what he missed most was the claustrophobia of trees pressing in from all sides around him? Hah! I don't think so! Why go there when he now has the freedom to go to the old dragons' abodes in the mountains? There's something you're not telling me..."

"All will be explained when we reach the great dragon. Even we are unsure of his reasons to remain in such an undesirable location."

"Morgana?" Morgause said imploringly, turning towards her sister and begging the dark haired woman with her eyes not to agree to go. However all she did was nod towards the Elder.

"Help me up sister." She said wearily.

"But Morgana-"

"I dreamt, Morgause. I dreamt such a strange, terrifying, yet beautiful dream." She paused, letting her words sink in before saying her last words. "I must go."

The blonde slumped at the other witch's words, but nodded, if not reluctantly, and helped her sister to her feet, supporting her on her left. The Elder quickly stepped forth and assisted her on her right.

-x-

"Heh, if only your followers could see you now: The great Elder of the Druids lowering himself to help a simple witch." Morgause taunted lightly as they made their way through the densely packed trees.

"Not as simple as you may thing, Morgause." He said just as lightly, but a darker edge simmering under the calm words. The blonde would have demanded an answer if not for them breaking through the tree line and into a clearing beyond.

The clearing appeared to have been a recent addition to the forest, as freshly burnt and broken trees, some snapped like twigs whilst others had been pulled up at the roots, lay around the edges. However what made the two sisters' breath catch in their throats was the sight of the majestic golden beast that lay at the centre of the destruction. As they drew closer, his great scaled head rose to stare at them.

"_And so, I finally meet the witch._" He said, his voice echoing in the two sorceress' minds and aloud to the druid present. "_I believe it would be appropriate that the Elder tell you what he told me just yester eve._" He continued, eying the two women's confused faces.

"Allow _me_ to do the honours." A much younger voice suddenly sounded from the other side of the clearing, as more cloaked figures joined them.

"Mordred?" Morgana exclaimed as the child walked over to them. He smiled sickeningly sweet in her direction and then recited the prophecy that had only been shared with the dragon the evening before.

As he came to an end, the two sisters continued to stare at him in shock.

"Why would you share such prophetic words with us?" Morgause finally spoke out, suspicious as to what their motives were.

"For we are attempting, and believe we had discovered the identities of which the prophecy refers." The Elder said.

"And?" Morgause said again, clearly becoming irritated with their indirect answers.

"_Mordred and I are The Breakers,_" the golden dragon supplied, "_and the Witch: the Lady Morgana._" He continued swiftly. Both women seemed to take the news fairly well. But then the Witch herself pointed out the floor in the reply.

"And Emrys is...?" The clearing fell silent, even all of nature hushed in anticipation of the name that followed.

"_Merlin_."

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><p>Please remember to review! xxx<p> 


	4. Chapter 3

**My present from me to you this Christmas!**

Thanks to the following for the reviews on the previous chapter:  
>Uchiha Bara; WolfDemon1000; incognito; Shadows Curse.<p>

* * *

><p>"Talking aloud."<br>"SEVERAL TALKING AT ONCE."  
>"<em>Taking aloud and within the mind."<br>'Talking into another's mind.'  
>Thinking to themselves.<em>

* * *

><p>Lord of Dragons and Riders<br>Chapter 3

His whole body had ceased to shiver long ago, which set up warning flags within Merlin's mind. He vaguely remembered Gaius mentioning that the body only stopped shivering from the cold when it had given up heating the body with the method and had moved on to more drastic means.

He was no longer capable of forming complete or coherent thoughts and found simple tasks such as breathing a chore when every breath had to be forced through his excruciatingly raw throat.

One thing that he found himself incapable of forgetting, however, was the betrayal. Somehow all his half mad trail of thoughts never completed and all lead him back to Arthur's uncomfortable expression as he was dragged away from Gaius and to the dungeons. Uncomfortable. No guilt, no shame, nothing to show for the years of his servitude, as the crowned prince gave him up to his tyrant father as if it was just a vaguely unpleasant job that had to be done.

Merlin's ears still rung with Uther's praise for his son's discovery of "an evil and scheming sorcerer that was clearly intending to bring down the kingdom from the inside". They also rung with the sound of hurried foot steps coming closer, but that hardly seemed of importance in light of some hay in the corner of the cell that looked faintly like the shape of…

Maybe he could waist the three days left till his execution with finding shapes in the straw substance spread across the ground like he was some kind of animal.

The foot steps had come to a stop, but it was the shadow falling across his face that brought him out of his dreamlike state. Merlin raised his head slowly and let his eyes focus on the two figures that were standing before the bars to his cell. One was tall and the other was almost half the height and both were cloaked. As his eyes adjusted more he was able to pick out more details and his addled mind comprehended that the taller one was female and her long raven hair fell in waves from the hood.

He felt something touch him. Touch him in such an intimate and vulnerable place that Merlin shrunk back from the contact, but the other presence was insistent and reached out again. He would have fought back harder but he found himself to weak and drained to resist any further.

'_Emrys…_' The presence spoke, and Merlin began to allow himself to relax a little. The touch was within his mind and meant no harm. It was gentle in fact, something he had not grown accustomed to over the last few weeks. '_Emrys!_' The voice in his mind said again.

Merlin continued to just stare at the two cloaked figures and watched transfixed as the shorted pulled the hood from his head, revealing a mop of brown hair that had grown to a length that just brushed the young boy's shoulders. _Mordred._ His mind supplied. Briefly he recalled the young scared lad that he and Morgana had cared after just over a year ago now. The boy was taller now, and as he had noted before, the child's hair had grown out some since then.

"Merlin we need to leave _now_." The taller figure said, her voice urgent, and she also dropped her hood. This time the face that was exposed caused a harsh breath to catch in his throat. Morgana. At his panicked state the two new arrivals sent each other a knowing glance. "It's fine Merlin." She said staring straight into his eyes. "I know you had no choice. Morgause told me everything. But we need to leave now, we knocked out the guards to get this far and it won't be long until they're discovered and the alarm bell is rung." Merlin nodded but knew he would not have the strength to get himself out.

Mordred, as though hearing his addle thoughts, with when he thought about it maybe he had, stepped forwards and with a single golden glow of his eyes he destroyed the lock to the barred door. He and Morgana then stepped into the cell, the sorceress brushing her fingers across each chain and manacle holding him prisoner and mutter words in the old religion's tongue. The restraints fell from him with ease.

'_Emrys, we must leave now._' Mordred tried again to rouse Merlin into getting up, but the warlock continued to just stare. He knew there was no hope of him walking out of here. Whilst his magic often healed him at an unnatural pace, the torture he had been subjected to along with the lack of food and water had left him too weak to heal at a faster rate than any other human being. The burns across his back, whilst by some miracle had not become infected, were still raw and unattended. His limbs were also numb with cold and he rather doubted he would be able to support himself.

"He's in too much of a bad way. We're going to need help getting him out." Morgana finally said. Mordred dropped onto his knees beside the slumped warlock and placed a cool hand on his upper back. Even with the light touch Merlin cringed in pain, and then Mordred said some words aloud and the pain retreated if only a little. The boy repeated the gesture, moving his hands further and further down his spoilt back with each turn, until he had reached the end. He then gentle slung one of the elder magic user's arms over his shoulder and gestured for Morgana to do the same on the other side which she quickly abided to.

Slowly, painstakingly so, they brought Merlin to his feet, the warlock cringing and hissing as his now half healed back stretched and cracked with the movement. It seemed Mordred was just as inept at healing as he was, but his efforts had made a vital difference as he could now focus on something other than just the pain. Slowly the three made their way out the cell, down the passage and into the tunnels beneath the dungeon, taking the same root as the time Arthur had helped break Mordred out of Camelot.

When they reached the grate at the end of the dim tunnel, they lowered Merlin back to the ground, a half sob escaping his lips at the excruciating pain all the movements were causing him. Mordred briefly brushed his mangled hair from his face in a comforting gesture before turning to face the bars blocking their path with Morgana. Synchronised they pulled their sleeves up and each placed and hand on one of the bolts holding the grate in place. A huge burst of magic later and the metal fell to the ground on the other side. They quickly helped Merlin up, and just as they were about to haul him through the gap, the warning bell began to ring.

-x-

Kilgharrah had moved to the outskirts of the forests surrounding Camelot. It was a dangerous move, leaving him with very little coverage from the soldiers on look out at the city wall. He had been there all evening listening in on the plans the witch and Mordred made together and knowing that what it really came down to was not if they got Merlin out the cell, but rather how far they would get with him before the alarm was raised. This was of course where he came into the plan. As soon as they reached him he would have to take them away from the god forsaken place. He was still not impressed with the prospect of being used like a horse, but had already conceded that it was the only plausible way for their rescue attempt to work.

He had felt when Merlin was being healed, and his own sharpened teeth were bared in a grimace when the boy had had to move despite his injuries being little better than their previous state. But most importantly he heard when the alarm bell rang out loud and unforgiving into the night. It was beneath the aggravating and nerve wrenching sound that he noticed the two pairs of hurried footsteps and the half dragged third. His eyes focused in on the tree figures hastily making their way across the open ground.

When they were about two thirds of the way to where he was hidden he finally heard the dreaded shout, a sure sign that the three escapees had been spotted. And then several men joined the first few, bringing the total to seven. And each of them had a bow. And each of them an arrow into place and shot them out.

Their aims were true, Kilgharrah could already tell that from the trajectory, the wind's direction and its speed. They were sure to hit. So then the ancient dragon did the unthinkable. In a single bound the golden beast leaped from his hiding place and landed in front of the suffering teen and his two rescuers. He then let out a fear inspiring roar laced with fire that turned the arrows to ash and melted the arrow heads into nothing.

After getting over their shock Mordred and Morgana swiftly lifted their objective up and he lowered himself to the floor to make it easier for the boy to reach his back. The two others then jumped up as well, on in front of him and the other behind to help keep him steady.

And then they were off into the night.

As they swept over the city, he saw fear in the people's eyes and then relief as he soared over head without harming anyone, and shortly after the relief came awe as the sun just broke over the horizon of densely packed trees causing his golden scales to glisten in the orange glow. He also saw the soldiers preparing another round of arrows, but they were already flying out of the archer's range.

The last thing the great dragon saw before they left the settlement was the king and prince staring up at them in outrage as their prisoner escaped right before their very eyes with no chance of being captured ever again.

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><p>Please remember to review!<br>xxx


	5. Chapter 4

Thank you to the following for reviews on chapter 3:  
>Uchiha Bara; anon; TheScarletIbis; Random; Funny Horsey; ch00tach.<p>

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><p><span>Lord of Dragons and Riders<span>  
><span>Chapter 4<span>

Kilgharrah, Mordred and Morgana all waited outside of the tent in silence. The two humans of the trio paced back and forth in their anxious states whilst the dragon lay curled up with his head facing the flap entrance. His eyes remained unblinking. They were all waiting for news on Merlin's condition, for the druid healers had taken him from them upon landing in the camp. They were yet to hear anything of his state.

It was hours since they had last seen Merlin when the healer in training finally exited the tent. She glanced up from beneath her fringe before darting away before any questions could be asked. A few seconds later the other five more experienced healers also left the tent. One of them split off from the other four and headed over to the waiting rescuers.

"How is he?" Morgana immediately demanded when the woman was within a reasonable range. The healer sighed deeply before responding.

"He will live." Morgana let out a breath she did not know she had been holding in. Mordred and Kilgharrah, on the other hand, were unsatisfied with the answer.

'_Answer the question! How is he?_' Mordred commanded into the now scared healer's mind. Morgana winced as his inner voice was so strong with his worry that he was unable to keep the thoughts from her and the dragon's minds.

'_I will be fine Mordred. My body is simply ... healing at present. I cannot return to my shell till ... a sufficient amount of my ... wounds are repaired._'

"Emrys!" The young boy exclaimed aloud in his surprise.

'_With ... your permission I will dwell within your ... mind ... for now..._' Merlin's thoughts continued, though they faded in and out from his fatigue and weakness.

"_Of course!_" Mordred exclaimed both aloud and to Merlin within his mind. He embraced the other's mind, feeling a wave of gratitude in response before Merlin quickly relaxed into coma like state. Mordred carefully wrapped his magic around the presence; an expression of deep concern was clear on his child features.

The old dragon looked on in interest, whilst Morgana looked thoroughly confused by was had transpired.

"Why? Why is he so... so cold?" Mordred questioned in panic. The golden beast's head snaked forwards until his snout was pressed against the child's forehead.

'_Peace, young one... He has left the majority of his magic to his body to quicken the healing process; his soul has to adjust to its absence._' Gently Kilgharrah sent a tendril of his own potent magic into the child through the contact of their skin. He sent the power to the space that Merlin filled; joining it with Mordred's own magic, he strengthened the protective cocoon. The warmth of their combined magic slowly seeped into the sleeping soul.

When the two's attention returned to their surroundings, they found Morgana talking in depth with the healer on how Merlin was doing.

"...should be dead, but his magic has sustained his existence till now. We have already healed him as best we can, but the damage is too much for our own abilities. The best we can hope for is that he will concentrate his own immense resources to speed up the course of the many years of healing it would take." The woman said sadly to the witch.

"_He already has._" Kilgharrah spoke. "_His soul rests whilst his body heals._" He reassured the healer who beamed at the information. Thanking them she curtsied and ran to catch up with the others to tell them the good news. Morgana called out her own thanks, after her.

Slowly Mordred and the witch approached the tent and pulled back the flap anxiously. Stepping into the enclosed area, their senses were immediately assaulted by the strength of magic and medicine in the space. Their eyes and nose stung with the smell, whilst the hairs stood on end from the power charged air. They advanced upon the bed role slowly whilst the dragon pushed his eye up against the entrance to see what was happening.

Merlin's body was glowing in the dim light of the tent, a golden sheen encompassing the sickly figure that his soul had fled from. The younger of his two visitors knelt as his side, closely followed by the woman, and they both reached out in sync, Mordred's hand brushing against his forehead, Morgana's holding onto his limp hand. The golden energy encompassed their hands where it touched his skin, and warmed the limb before retreating.

-x-

Morgause and Morgana sat beside each other with the camp fire blazing before them. The evening had already drifted into night and the low hoots of the owls and squeaks of the bats filled the night air. The dark haired witch stretched out her legs before curling them under her and laying her head on her sister's shoulder. Across from them, Mordred slept with his back pressed against the golden dragon's scaly side, his cloak thrown over him to keep off the chill of the night.

It had been a week since they had landed in the druid camp, and Merlin's body was healing at a pace that astounded the healers. However his soul was still in a deep sleep within Mordred's mind.

His unresponsiveness worried them all greatly, and Kilgharrah's explanation had not eased their minds at all when he explained that it was not only his body that had been harmed by the torture, and that his mind also needed time to recover.

The two witches were brought out of their light doze when they heard a branch snap from within the forest to their left. Whilst they were at a druid camp, they were currently situated at the edge of the group of tents. Morgana quickly rose to her feet, closely followed my Morgause, and drew her sword from its sheath. Although she had greatly improved in her magical prowess, she was still not prepared to solely rely on her skills in the area as her sister was. She briefly glanced over to Mordred and Kilgharrah who nodded and blinked at her respectively.

Slowly, they began to creep forwards in the direction they had heard the noise, but before they could move more than a few steps, a figure emerged from the trees' shadows and stopped once the light of their fire revealed his features. The fugitives' eyes all widened in recognition at the sight of dark messy hair and chainmail.

"Why didn't the wards stop him?" Morgana hissed at her sister. Morgause' lips tightened in agitation.

"I don't know..." she began, before raising her arm sharply in preparation for a spell when the man took another step closer.

"Whoa, whoa..." He said softly to the witches, and slowly removed the sword from his belt. At the action both women stiffened, tightening their guard even further. Then, moving in exaggerated slowness, he placed his weapon on the ground before rising to his full height again with his arms raised in surrender. "I just want to see Merlin."


	6. Chapter 5

Thanks to the following for reviews!  
>WolfDemon1000; Uchiha Bara; Rya3SaberVltar; Shadows Curse; ch00tah.<p>

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><p><span>Lord of Dragons and Riders<span>  
><span>Chapter 5<span>

A strong wind swept across the area and the leaves of the forest rustled with the movement.

"Where is he?" The intruder continued.

The two women looked on in shock, even Kilgharrah behind them snorted in surprise at the sudden turn of events.

"What do you think?" Morgana asked her sister. She was completely thrown by the situation.

"I'm thinking he's lying. It must be a trap." The blonde responded. However Morgana looked on sceptically, her eyes meeting the worried brown of the man's.

"I don't know..."

"He could have brought Camelot's knights with him! Didn't you tell me he is a friend of Arthur?"

"But you forget; I was Merlin's before him." The man spoke up.

"Silence!" Morgause barked. "This could be a distraction!" Morgause pleaded, turning back to her sister desperately. "Others could already be circling round us, heading for Emrys' body!"

"I would never help those _swine_ after what they did to Merlin!"

"Morgause, the wards are set up to repel those with dark intentions. He would never have been able to pass though them if his purpose was to harm Merlin." Morgana reasoned.

"_Let him forth._" Kilgharrah finally intervened. "_I sense no ill will._"

Glaring bitterly Morgause stepped aside to let the man pass, but never let her guard down as he walked closer to the fire and bowed to the dragon. The beast and man looked long and hard into each others' eyes before Kilgharrah gave a snort of approval. The man's attention was snatched when Mordred rose to his feet.

'_Your name's Lancelot._' The boy stated rather than questioned.

"Aye."

'_You're a friend of Emrys._' At the man's nod, the boy smiled softly. '_Follow me._'

He led Lancelot through a series of tents with men and women stopping and watching them pass in curiosity as they went. Some children ran across their pass, laughing and shouting between them, chasing a spark of light that danced out of their reach in fun.

Thrown off a little by the clear use of magic, the man continued on with a frown marring his features. His hand reached out instinctively, out of nervousness, to grip his sword, only to remember it was no longer in his possession and still lying on the floor back at the forest's edge.

He was such distracted, that he almost walked straight into his 'guide' when the boy came to a conclusive halt in front of a tent. Two men sat on either side of the flap entrance; however, upon sighting the visitors, they both rose to their feet. Reflexively they held the hilts of their swords and their other hands rose in Lancelot's direction in preparation for a spell.

"Mordred." One of them spoke up and nodded to the small boy in respect, but neither of their eyes left the stranger.

'_He comes to see Emrys. He is a friend._' Mordred thought in their direction, and both men nodded, lowering their hands, but their grip still lingered on their swords. Walking past them with ease, Mordred entered the tent, and Lancelot hesitantly followed.

The lighting within the tent was dim, and it took several moments for the man's eyes to adjust and make sense of the shapes before his vision. Mordred had, upon entering, immediately crossed the tent and knelt beside a figure lying atop a bed role.

Lancelot blinks several times, not quite believing what he saw, but then rushed forth and fell to his knees beside the child.

"Merlin!" He exclaimed, grabbing the warlock's lifeless hand. "Merlin!" He called out again at the lack of response.

"He sleeps on." Mordred intoned, disappointment colouring his voice. He had hoped for some reaction to a familiar voice but his Emrys did not stir within his mind.

"What's wrong with him? Have you harmed him?" He said, suddenly turning on the boy and grabbing him by the front of his shirt.

"_It is CAMELOT that has harmed him! The tyrant KING that has had his body broken; the backstabbing PRINCE that has left his mind in ruin!_' The boy hissed into Lancelot's mind, driving the thoughts in with such force that Lancelot was left on the floor reeling in pain.

"Merlin..." He breathed, his eyes falling upon the unmoving body of his friend when he had finally recovered enough to open them. Mordred sat, taking calming breaths and watching the warlock before him intently to ignore the man still lying on the floor.

After a few moments, Lancelot pulled himself into an upright position; his head slumped forwards hiding his eyes from view in the shadows that his hair cast across his face.

"What exactly happened?" He eventually asked softly. "I only know that he was to be executed for sorcery and escaped from the rumours I heard from some travellers at an inn not far from here."

There was a long silence, and Lancelot was prepared to give up on ever receiving an answer, when Mordred at long last spoke.

"Emrys is one of the last warlocks," he began in a solemn tone, "and his father was the previous one to hold the title of The Last Dragon Lord, and now, in Lord Balinor's death, it has been passed to him." The child again paused. "Emrys freed The Great Dragon from the caverns beneath Camelot, and Kilgharrah felt it was within his right to seek retribution for what had been done to him and his race. And rightly so! Uther deserved all the pain Kilgharrah brought upon his city! However the problem lies in Emrys' pure and forgiving heart, for he was incapable of watching the suffering. And so, when he and that scum of a prince failed to bring Lord Balinor back to Camelot safely, Emrys resorted to using his own new found powers."

Lancelot's mind was spinning with all the new information he was gaining, and was glad when Mordred stopped, allowing him the time to sort his thoughts. He had known of Merlin's magic since he wielded the spear ablaze with the warlock's fiery power, and taken down the griffin that had been terrorising Camelot. However, he had never in his wildest dreams considered the possibility of Merlin being a warlock.

The young man knew many stories of the times of magic; his mother had often told them to him in his childhood. He knew that the most powerful of all the magical men and women were the warlocks. They were creatures of magic much like the dragons and unicorns and all other forms of magical beasts. Not to say that Merlin was a beast. No! He was a member one of the most natural and powerful species to have ever walked the earth. However he also knew that they were few and far between, hunted, he had believed, to the point of extinction.

Warlocks were different to other humans that wielded magic in the way that the sorcerers and sorceresses, witches and wizards, had reserves within their body of the energy. However a warlock's body _was_ magic. Their very being was made up of the strange, enchanting, _beautiful_ force.

Merlin never had the choice between using his powers and not; his powers were him, and without them he just was not Merlin.

Setting his jaw in determination, Lancelot looked up and met Mordred's cool eyes.

"You're a warlock too." He stated, but he was far from sure. At the boy's nod of confirmation, he ploughed on. "Just what did they do to him?"

"_Arthur_," he spat in disgust, "told his father of Emrys' magic. He _betrayed_ Emrys' trust!" The boy took several deep breathes to calm himself. "They tortured him for days and days, hours on end, in the hope of discovering who else was hiding their gifts... Morgana and I broke him out just over a week ago now. He's been like this ever since."

Lancelot took a shaky intake of air and resumed his grip on Merlin's hand.

"Why do you keep referring to him as Emrys?" He whispered.

"Emrys is Emrys. His destiny has named him as such. The first has failed and the next has been set into notion. Emrys will rise as our King."

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><p>Please Review!<br>xxx


	7. Chapter 6

Thank you for the reviews!  
>Uchiha Bara; Rya3SaberVltar; ch00tah; Random.<p>

* * *

><p><span>Lord of Dragons and Riders<span>  
><span>Chapter 6<span>

It was two weeks after Lancelot had arrived at the druid camp that Merlin's mind finally stirred.

'_Kilgharrah!_' Mordred called out to the dragon's mind in excitement. The beast's own mind touched the boy's in question, but immediately felt the reason behind the call. Merlin's groggy thoughts were flowing gently over them, and the two spectators winced at the pain they betrayed until the warlock's consciousness returned enough for him to contain his thoughts.

'_Merlin..._' Kilgharrah thought gently. He did not respond with words, but Mordred and the dragon felt the warlock's attention shift to them. '_How are you?_' He asked, cringing at the useless phrase humans used. Whilst, again, Merlin did not reply, the wave of gratitude that spread through the old dragon was enough to have made it worthwhile for Kilgharrah.

'_Emrys... Lancelot is here._' Mordred told his brother of magic. He also was rewarded but with the warm feeling that came to him only when Merlin smiled.

'_Take me to him._' The two others froze at the soft broken voice that held none of the bubbly happiness they both had come to associate with the warlock.

'_Yes Emrys._' Mordred hurried out of the tent he had been in at the time, ignoring the calls of a druid woman that he had left mid conversation. He was joined at the edge of the camp by Kilgharrah, his large body being incapable of manoeuvring between the tents further into the temporary settlement. They then moved around the perimeter till they reached a lonely tent where Lancelot stayed. Not waiting for approval, the young warlock entered the tent, startling the man from sleep.

"What is it? What's happened?" He asked, brushing off his sleepy state and rising quickly.

"Emrys has awakened." Mordred stated, barely containing his excitement.

"What! Where is he? I'll-" He made to hurry out the tent, but found the way blocked by Kilgharrah who had pushed the side of his face up against the entrance to allow his glistening eye to peer inside.

'_Emrys is not awake in body, but in mind, loyal knight._' The great dragon thought, his wise old voice echoing through Lancelot's mind.

"I am no knight." The man wearily smiled, temporarily distracted by the beast's sudden appearance.

"You may not be a knight of Camelot, but a knight you _were_ destined to become, and still _will_ be." The young warlock stated cryptically.

"Where's Merlin?" Lancelot just asked, dismissing Mordred's words.

"With me."

'_Mordred has been keeping Merlin safe within his own mind till now._'

The child smiled in delight when he felt a tendril of Merlin's magic stretch forwards and touch Lancelot's mind. The man stiffened at the alien feeling, but relaxed when all he felt from the new connection was friendliness and a hint of desperation.

"Merlin?"

'_Lancelot..._'

"Merlin! Are you okay? How do you feel? God! Arthur, that _bastard_! When I get a hold of him... Merlin?" He questioned franticly before noticing the feel of Merlin's mind begin to fade.

'_Do not worry knight, he is just tired._'

Merlin's presence continued to fade till he was once more wrapped in the cocoon of Mordred and Kilgharrah's protective magic.

-x-

The druid camp had packed up and moved on. It was not an uncommon occurrence as they often travelled to keep their whereabouts secret from those who would wish to do them harm. However the reason of this movement was a different one entirely.

Since Merlin had woken his mind had quickly grown in strength and, without the limits of his material body, his soul had had free reign of his magical potential. It was because of this Merlin was more in tune with the land and its energies than ever before, and he now felt the pulling of the threads of fate directing his every move.

And so he had begun to sing, his magic weaving in and out: harmonising.

His spirit's voice echoed throughout all the known lands, stretching far and wide, seeping into the people's minds and the land's makeup. Not many could hear his voice, the dragon and Mordred were among the few, and they only believed Mordred capable due to Merlin's presence within the young boy's mind.

However even those who could not hear were affected.

The song trickled into their minds, preying on those with magic and drawing them in. Over the weeks since the song had begun, the druid camp had near quadrupled in size as the magical community were incapable of defying the pull.

The druid leader had begun to prepare his people for travel from the moment Merlin had arrived at their camp. When things had been set into motion, he got his people ready for the journey ahead and split the witches, wizards, sorcerers and sorceresses, into groups for the journey, in the hope it would make it harder for their movements to be tracked and therefore reduce the chances of Camelot discovering their location and intentions.

One such group consisted of Morgana, Morgause, Mordred, Lancelot, Kilgharrah and Merlin. Whilst Merlin was now capable of regaining conscious, his body was not yet well enough for him to return to, so the group of six had decided it best for his body to go with Kilgharrah who travelled above the others that went by land. Merlin kept Kilgharrah company by settling in the old dragon's mind for the trip, but spent the majority of the time sleeping. Even so, Kilgharrah was happy to have the warlock's warm presence residing within him.

It was two weeks into the journey that Kilgharrah called out once more to the small group below him. Merlin's body was becoming too cold in the higher altitudes and it was time they stopped again to allow him to regain his warmth. They had already had to do this several times since setting off because laying him beside a campfire at night was not always frequent enough.

Mordred looked around and saw a small settlement only ten minutes or so from where they were. Suggesting they headed to the village for shelter, the others agreed and Kilgharrah flew lower and lower to the earth till he landed a short way from them in the cover of the forest. Quickly heading over to the dragon, Lancelot untied Merlin from the beast's back and embraced the body to help him begin to regain a healthy temperature.

Giving them a nod, Kilgharrah soon took off again until he was so high he appeared so small people would mistake him as nothing more than a bird. During his time free of Merlin he would hunt for food that he could not do when watching over the young and last Dragon Lord.

Swiftly the rest of the party made their way to the settlement, ignoring the curious looks they received as they got closer because people took note of Merlin's body cradled in Lancelot's arms. They entered the tavern which was overcrowded and asked a plump woman behind the bar for a room. Once again they took no notice of the looks they received; after all they were an odd mix to be travelling together. A man clothed in chainmail, carrying a sickly bandaged teenager. Two women beautiful enough to pass as a princess, one blonde and the other sporting raven locks, dressed in trousers and expensive looking blue and green cloaks respectively. And a young boy, also cloaked, bearing eyes much too old for a child.

The woman told them severely that she didn't want any trouble, but with some persuasion she led them through a door and up some stairs, before showing them to a room with plenty of floor space and two straw beds.

Lancelot immediately laid out Merlin on the bed furthest from the door; positioning him comfortably and pushing his dark hair back from his face gently. Mordred soon joined the other warlock on the bed, cuddling up to his side to warm his brother. Morgana and Morgause, meanwhile, rummaged through their packs and brought out a couple of blankets which Morgana threw over the two warlocks and tucked them in motherly.

They all watched, and sighed in relief, as colour slowly seeped back into Merlin's cheeks and the blue tinge to his lips retreated leaving them a pastel pink.

'_I will watch over Emrys._' Mordred reassured them all, and at his further insistence the others headed down into the main tavern in search of food, drink and some time to relax.

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><p>Please Review!<br>xxx


	8. POLL

Poll

I've decided that I'm going to concentrate for a month at a time on each fanfiction, getting as many new chapters out during this time as I can.

In April I'm going to be concentrating on **Lord of Dragons and Riders** (a Merlin / Inheritance fanfiction).

However for May, I've set up a poll on my author page for all you lovely readers to vote on your favourite fanfiction!

So please vote! xxx


	9. Chapter 7

Thanks to the following for reviews on chapter 6!  
>Random; Rya3SaberVltar; Uchiha Bara; Tango Dancer<p>

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><p><span>Lord of Dragons and Riders<span>  
><span>Chapter 7<span>

The two witches and knight entered the bar and ordered their drinks before settling into a corner so as to be less conspicuous since their presence was already drawing unwanted attention. Whilst they all sipped at their ale, they felt themselves unwind from tensions they had not even noticed. As they relaxed, a rough looking man entered the tavern and everyone fell silent watching his every move. He headed straight for the bar where the same woman who had given them the room upstairs watched his approach warily.

Without meeting his eyes she shakily threw some coins onto the damp surface between them. She bit her lip nervously as he counted it up.

"And the rest?" He sneered.

"That's all there is..." She spoke up, her voice unsteady with nerves.

"Jeez, looks like even way out here all the men _have_ to control the people through fear." Morgana hissed to her sister, who immediately let out a peel of laughter at the seer's sarcasm.

The man turned sharply at the sound.

"Who the hell are you?" He mocked, stalking over to the trio.

"Leave them alone, Jimmy, they're only travelling on through, they don't mean anything by it!" The bar tender called after him, but he just hushed her and continued on over to the travellers' corner.

"Well well well, who do we have here? What are two lovely ladies such as you doing in a place like this?" He leered down at the witches, paying more attention to their 'assets' than their eyes, both pairs of which flashed golden in anger. This, however, was something Lancelot did _not_ fail to notice. Standing abruptly he drew his sword from its sheath and held the point of the blade to the man's throat.

"If you wish to live, I suggest you leave." He said in warning, for he knew if he failed to take care of the man, the women would do the honours as a result of the disrespect shown to their sibling. The man just laughed in his face before letting out a shrill whistle.

"Over here boys!" He called out to the entourage that burst in through the door. As the group made their way over, making sure to look as menacing as possible, Lancelot sighed and put his sword away. "Do you really think you can back out of this now?" Jimmy goaded.

"Look, it seems there was a misunderstanding. If it's a brawl you want, it's a brawl you'll get. You aren't worthy of my sword." The knight said clearly, as though speaking to someone of little brains.

"Why you...!" The man raged, his face going red in colour. "Get the girls, the man's mine!" He yelled, and threw a punch at Lancelot, who swiftly dodged the blow, before he could counter, Jimmy fell forwards unconscious. A drunkard who had been sitting a short distance away from them had hit the thief over the head with his tankard of ale.

"Ahhh... such a waste!" He exclaimed into the sudden silence that followed the action, whilst looking forlornly at the bottom of the now empty mug.

The pause stretched for a moment longer before:

"Get 'em!" And a full out bar fight broke out.

Amongst the chaos that ensued, Lancelot exchanged names with the man, learning the stranger to be named Gwaine. The fight was going surprisingly well in their favour, or not that surprising really when the knight considered the fact two witches using their magic discreetly to trip their assailants and make sure the projectiles hit the brutes with surprising accuracy and force.

When there were only two unlawful men left standing, Lancelot and Gwaine turned at a yell from behind them to find the woman from the bar being held at knife point by Jimmy who must have recovered at some point during the fight. The two other men took the distraction as an opportunity to run out the tavern and escape on horseback.

"Let the woman go, she has no part in this." Lancelot said in hopes of calming the man and the woman going free. However he was then sidetracked by the blur of movement to his left that was Gwaine rushing forwards and tackling Jimmy to the ground. They scuffled and the thug hit his head on the stone flooring, knocking him out. Gwaine sat up only to fall backwards to lie on his side. Reaching down he grasped his thigh where he could feel the hot wetness of his blood seeping through the material of his trousers. As his vision faded and Lancelot, Morgana and Morgause rushed forwards in worry, a young man with dark raven hair and eyes that gleamed golden appeared clearly before him where everything else was blurred.

'_Worry not, Sir Gwaine, you will be safe with us._' A voice spoke, and somehow, despite the lack of his mouth moving, he knew it was the person standing before him who had spoken.

With a final grimace, Gwaine lost the battle with the darkness and fell into the shadows that were unconsciousness.

-x-

Slowly Gwaine regained his senses. Before he made any move or opened his eyes he just listened. He could hear people talking close; a man and woman arguing over something.

"We should just ditch him and get out of here. We've already caused a large enough scene that Camelot may become interested on the incident and send people to investigate, and taking this man with us will only slow us down in his current state!" The woman argued.

"However we owe him a debt. He fought alongside us, and he got injured doing so. It is our responsibility to tend to his wound and keep him safe till he is capable of doing so himself once more." The man countered.

Losing interest in the argument that he could sort out later he expanded his senses, listening harder that before and hearing two other sets of breathing, both coming from his left. One was deep and regular, indicating sleep, and the other soft and light suggesting a smaller person, but the irregularity caused him to guess this other person to be awake. So, four people were present.

A door slamming open from the direction of where his feet laid caused him to jump slightly. In the embarrassment of not wanting to appear as though he had been spying, he opened his eyes to look like he had only just awoken in case anyone had seen his movement. The one who entered was the woman with the dark hair who had been among the group that had begun the fight at the bar that had left him injured. She called out urgently to the others in the room.

"We need to leave, now!" The others were quick to question her.

"What is wrong sister?" The blond asked, whilst the man who he remembered to be Lancelot watched her closely waiting for the response.

"A couple of villagers went to get help from Camelot in dealing with their prisoners; the knights will be here by evening!" Lancelot swore softly under his breath and Morgana's eyes roamed the room worriedly only to fall upon Gwaine and take in his conscious state. "He's awake." She informed the others. Immediately the blonde and Lancelot turned to regard him.

"How are you feeling?" The woman asked, coming up to the side of the bed he was laying on. Turning his head so as to look at her in the face, Gwaine informed her he was feeling fine, but found the majority of his attention falling into regarding the two boys on the other bed occupying the room. One of them was young, most probably yet to even make it to his teens. However the other is what truly held his interest; it was the same boy he saw as he passed out, what he guessed to be, the night before.

Seeing Gwaine's gaze, Lancelot moved to block the man's view of Merlin, suspicion clear in his eyes.

"Who is he?" Gwaine asked, prompting the others in the room to become wary also.

"It is of none of your business." The blonde spoke sharply.

"Why do you ask?" The young boy spoke up for the first time.

"I... He spoke to me before I passed out."

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><p>Please review!<br>xxx


	10. Chapter 8

Thanks you to the following people for reviews in the last chapter  
>Tango Dancer; curious to a fault; WolfDemon1000; Random; Uchiha Bara; Rya3SaberVltar; written1by1; Alyssa; Moonlight.<p>

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><p><span>Lord of Dragons and Riders<span>  
><span>Chapter 8<span>

"Impossible!" Lancelot exclaimed. "He has not woken in almost a month!" This confused Gwaine immensely for he was sure of his memory.

"What did he say?" The boy questioned again.

"He called me _Sir_ Gwaine. Don't know why. He also said I'd be safe with you." The boy nodded, a look of comprehension crossing his face.

"My name is Mordred and they are Morgana, Morgause and Lancelot." He said gesturing to the others in turn. "And this..." he faced the older boy still sleeping and stroked his hair lightly, "is Emrys."

"-Also known as Merlin." Lancelot said, sending a light glare in Mordred's direction. The boy just ignored him.

"We'll have to take him with us." Morgause finally said with a sigh.

"What? But you were so adamant on leaving him behind earlier!" Lancelot exclaimed, confused by her sudden change of heart.

"Emrys referred to him as a knight; he obviously shares your fate in the new world. As much as he will slow us down, and be a pain to keep around, he must come with us."

"...Erm... hello? I am here. Who's to say I even want to come with you people?"

"You don't get a choice!" The blonde witch snapped. Gwaine quickly held his hands up in a placating wave, and pulled himself into a seated position, the blanket falling into folds upon his lap.

"Look here, Lady, any sane man wouldn't go travel around with a group of strange strangers. For all he knew you could be after something that wouldn't fall well upon his conscience!" Morgause felt he rage boil at the man's incompetence, however he spoke again before she could say anything. "Yet, it seems you've hit gold. Many would argue against my sanity, but you know, this trip sounds kind of fun. An adventure of sorts ... if you will!"

The others in the room looked on in amusement at the man's logic, whilst the blonde looked thoroughly disgusted by Gwaine's reasoning, but refused to complain at the prospect of not having to drag him along unwillingly. After all, a struggling man being manhandled out into the wilderness would cause some questions to fly, questions that were bound to reach the ears of the impending visiting knights.

"We need to leave as soon as possible. Mordred, ready Emrys, and Morgana, help Gwaine. Lancelot and I will prepare our belongings. We need to hurry!" Morgause urgently ordered, and each jumped to their tasks.

-x-

As the sky was stained orange with the beginnings of the setting sun, the group of fugitives left their rented room, slunk down the stairs, through the tavern and slipped outside. A crowd still surrounded the criminal from before yet to be released from the stocks. Some children ran from the scene in search of more rotten fruit to throw at the fiend who continued to yell curses and threats out in his rage.

Just as the group of travellers reached the tree line, the sound of horses approaching encouraged their curious minds to stay and watch from the shadows the forest provided them. Gwaine leaned heavily against a tree and positioned himself so as to put no pressure on his wounded leg. He had been helped this far with the supporting arms of the two witches whom he had flirted shamelessly with only to receive a discreet pinch from the sister of his attentions at each attempt.

The first of the knights to enter the village from the other side and into their vision was blonde and wore the Pendragon royal crest proudly upon his breast. Gwaine let out a breathless chortle of dark humour.

"So the princess himself visits the humble village to take pride in detaining an outlaw already captured?" He said with a dark grin. He looked back at the others to see blank looks of shock upon their faces. He wondered for a moment if he had done something wrong, until the silence was filled with laughter as each of his new companions lost their composure, the silent tension that had build at the sight of the prince lost to their amusement at Gwaine's words.

"Oh, what a way you have with words, _Sir_ Gwaine." Morgana teased as Lancelot adjusted his hold on the slumbering Merlin in his arms. Gwaine still could not understand how he had meet the boy before he fell unconscious when it was evident his slumber was of such a depth that he was ignorant of all events around him. He also found it disconcerting that those present had taken to tagging 'Sir' to his name. At first he thought they were making fun of his announcement that Merlin had spoken to him and his claim to knighthood. Now, however, he was beginning to get the sense that he was missing something of great importance, as Lancelot was also being referred to as a knight often enough.

"Despite his lack of acquaintance with _Prince Arthur_, his words hit surprisingly close to the mark." Morgause noted calmly enough, except for the way she twisted the name in such a manner that clearly indicated hate.

"Indeed." Mordred said and nodding his head towards the unfolding drama in the village below them, to draw everyone's attention back to the happenings.

Arthur was seated proudly upon his horse; a different knight secured Jimmy to another mount. Those hidden among the trees, although out of earshot, could clearly imagine his lofty voice assuring the villagers of Camelot's help if they were ever to be in crisis.

-x-

The group eventually grew tired of watching the backstabbing prince and walked further into the forest until they came upon a clearing. Morgana and Morgause both helped Gwaine gently lower himself onto the ground to rest against a tree's trunk.

"Don't panic." Lancelot advised his fellow knight as he laid Merlin upon the soft mossy ground.

"What..." Gwaine began, only to be cut off by a thumping sound that grew in volume. Eyes wide all he could do was merely watch in complete shock and fear as a dragon flew into his eyes' perception and proceeded to land before the group in the open space. He didn't know what shocked him more, the fact that he was seeing a dragon or that the dragon was not attacking them.

"_And so, another joins us on this perilous journey._" Kilgharrah mused. Gwaine's jaw dropped open.

"Y-you speak?"

"_Of course I speak you two-legged fool!_" The majestic beast snarled in offence. Turning his head in a show of superiority, the dragon faced Mordred. "_What happened?_" He questioned. "_I felt Merlin's mind stir and even leave me for a few moments. Was he with you?_"

"I know not. None of us saw him but Gwaine."

"_What did you see, fool?_" Gathering his senses, Gwaine hurried to answer Kilgharrah.

"It was as I was passing out. He appeared before me even as everything else faded out and told me I would be safe with you..."

"He also called him _Sir_ Gwaine." Lancelot said, rolling his eyes at the other man's failure to include the most important detail.

The dragon snorted in interest and proceeded to eye Gwaine critically. Eventually he turned away and lowered himself to the ground. The others let out a sigh of relief. Gwaine released the breath he had failed to notice he had held at the inspection of the glassy, golden eyes of the beast. Lancelot rushed forth with Merlin in his arms and tied the boy's body to the back of the kneeling dragon and with the help of Morgana wrapped him in secure blankets to protect the unconscious boy from the biting cold of the higher altitudes.

"He's injured." Mordred suddenly stated unexpectedly. Kilgharrah followed the youngest gaze back to Gwaine whose breath caught again at the ancient creatures stare. After a moment of consideration the beast leant back onto his haunches and released a heated, shimmering breath upon the future knight. With that he turned abruptly and with a deafening thud of his powerful wings, propelled himself along with Merlin back into the open skies.

Gwaine, in the meantime, coughed and waved a hand in front of his face trying to dissipate the stench of Kilgharrah's breath.

"Phew! Does he _ever_ brush those magnificently sharp teeth of his? I think his breath might be worse than mine after the time lost my brush whilst travelling to all the different taverns in the region!" Grinning in good humour, all he received was a few good hearted chuckles before Morgause voiced all their worries.

"Never let Kilgharrah hear you say that."


	11. PETITION

The administrators of are as of June 4th going to be taking down Fics that have lemons or have extreme violence. Now I don't know about you but I think thats stupid. There are many wonderful fics that only have one or two lemons in them yet the plot itself is awesome! You can't just take down a 100,000+ word fic just because it has a lemon in a chapter that is only 1000 words long. Now I urge you all to read the petition below, sign it, and repost this to your own fics. Hopefully if we make enough noise everything will return to normal. Thank you.

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on the following website:

www. change  
>. org<br>/fanfiction-net-stop-the-destruction-of-fanfiction-net#

(remove the line gaps and spaces)


	12. Chapter 9

"Talking aloud."  
>"SEVERAL TALKING AT ONCE."<br>"_Taking aloud and within the mind."  
>'Talking into another's mind.'<br>Thinking to themselves._

Lord of Dragons and Riders  
>Chapter 9<span>

Gwaine was taking a while to get over the fact the dragon's breath had healed him, not even a scar remained.

"...and it's gone ... not a scratch ... not a mark..." He continued to mutter under his breath as he followed the two women of the group. Mordred lead the way up ahead and Lancelot brought up the rear behind the mumbling man.

"Oh would you shut _up_ already. You're healed, get over it and start using your restored body to keep up!" Morgause finally snapped after he had fallen back a little too far.

"But how can you be so calm? It was a d-dragon!" Gwaine protested, jogging to catch up and falling in stride beside the beauties. He could hear Lancelot quicken his pace behind him too.

"Well of course we would be calm. I am a magical being myself." Mordred stated blankly, not even turning to look back at them.

"W-what?"

"I am a warlock, as is Emrys."

"Sorcerers?!" Gwaine exclaimed coming to a halt, and the rest of the group stopped. Lancelot was suddenly at his side, a firm hand on his shoulder both restraining and calming in its own strange way.

"No: Warlocks." Mordred said.

"But-"

"Warlocks are completely different from sorcerers, Gwaine." Lancelot interrupted. "They are beings of magic, much like a dragon. Their very existence is magic, something that is very rare. You are most probably standing in the presence of one of the last two warlocks in existence.

"But the law-" Again Lancelot interrupted.

"Magic is not evil, Gwaine. Think of it as you would a sword. It is but a tool that performs at its master's will. If the intentions are evil it is only the master that is to blame."

"_If_ you would let me get a word in edgeways," Gwaine glared, "I was going to say the laws in Camelot and its lands forbid such acts, so why are you here?"

The group blinked at him a little shocked, except Mordred who was staring at Lancelot in some amusement, already having known Gwaine's stance on magic from his gift at telepathy.

"What?" The ruffian finally questioned, growing a little uncomfortable under his companions stares. "I travel a lot and on such travels outside of Camelot's lands I have met some of those that use magic. I must say they are as diverse in personality as all those without the gift and the only thing they seem to have in common is their hatred for Camelot. As a kingdom that prosecutes them for something so trivial, I feel it is within their rights to hate such a place."

Morgause and Morgana continued to eye him a little warily.

"Which brings me back to the question: why are you in Camelot's lands?"

"It is best we continue to move, we can talk on the way." Mordred said. Once again Gwaine found it a little odd that the youngest seemed to be the one in control, but considered that maybe his warlock status gave him authority over the others.

-x-

It was evening a few weeks later when Mordred stopped unexpectedly.

"Emrys is awake!" He exclaimed, a grin taking over his features as he turned to face them. "And he says he will return to his body tonight." Lancelot, Morgause and Morgana smiled in response, all looking immensely relieved at the news.

The group immediately went about setting up camp for the night with much anticipation in the air as they waited for Kilgharrah to arrive. In the mean time the two destined knights went together to collecting firewood in preparation for when the temperature would drop upon the sun's set.

"So how did you, a magic-less man, end up with such an odd group of people?" Gwaine asked conversationally. Lancelot paused in picking up a log and let out a short bark of laughter before adding the wood to the collection in his arms and turning to face the other man.

"It was Merlin. It was over a year ago now; I saved him from a beast that had been tracking me through the forests outside Camelot. It was a griffin: body of a lion; head and wings of an eagle..." He chuckled softly. "Of course he didn't _really_ need saving. If it were not for my presence and his fear of being discovered, I am sure he would have taken care of the threat himself, his magic is powerful after all. But at the time all I saw was a weedy boy on his back with the griffin about to..." He paused again and collected some more wood before resuming the tale.

"Anyway, after 'rescuing' him he took me back to Camelot and he attempted to help me achieve my dream: to join the knights of Camelot. He went out of his way to help me and could have gotten in serious trouble for some of the things he did, but I was knighted. Yet everything went disastrously wrong in the end and I was banished. But I felt it to be my duty to put an end to the griffin before my departure, after all it was my fault it was plaguing the citadel what with it following me there."

"But I thought creatures of magic would not fall to anything but magic...?" Gwaine asked.

"Right, and _that_ is where Merlin comes in. He insisted on going with me and when I struck the beast with my lance it was encased in this eerie blue light that burnt through the creature's defence. That was when I came to understand the nonsense words he had been calling during the charge for what they were: Magic."

"It was later that day that I told him I knew, before I left Camelot for the second time. He was frightened at first, but the relief he showed when I told him his secret was safe in my hands, it was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders."

"I don't know how many times he has resorted to using his powers to keep the prince safe, but I tell you this, not only would Arthur have been dead a hundred times over but I doubt Camelot would still stand if it were not for Merlin. He was the bravest of Arthur's men and he did not know, but when he discovered just how special he is, just how brave he has been _time_ and _time_ again, he betrays him."

By this time they had returned to the camp and Lancelot threw the wood down in his anger startling the witches.

"Peace, Sir Lancelot." Mordred intoned calmly. "The _prince_ will get what he deserves in the long run. Without Merlin at his side he and his future kingdom will not last the perils to come." The boy then returned to watching the swiftly darkening sky for sign of the returning dragon.

And it was not long before the thump of beating wings vibrated the air around them and the sight of the descending golden beast befell all their eyes. The fire was already letting out a warming heat and Lancelot was quick to unbind Merlin's body from Kilgharrah and set it before the fire, rubbing at the boy's arms to fight off the chill.

'_Will you return to your body now Emrys?_' Mordred asked anxiously when he felt his brother's presence drift into his mind.

'_Yes._' He answered simply and then his presence was gone again, slipping out of Mordred's conscience. The younger warlock rushed forward to see the results, gripping a hand, still cold, in his own. The others all gathered round as well seeing this as a sign that Merlin was coming back to them, Kilgharrah snaking his head round to see over all the others to his kin.

At first nothing seemed to happen but then there was a hitch in Merlin's steady breathing followed by a sharp gasp for air. Gold, glowing eyes snapping open and he bolted upright into a sitting position, retching as his stomach rebelled despite its empty state.

They fussed over him, rubbing his back, murmuring comforting words in his ears and holding him up when it became evident he had no strength left to do so himself. It took a few minutes but eventually he calmed and Lancelot lowered him back so he was lying on a bed of blankets, more of which were soon put upon him to help warm his still cold body, evident from his chattering teeth.

Morgana ran her fingers through Merlin's dark locks, brushing them away from his face and he continued to gaze upward, disorientated by his return to physical form, the gold slowly draining from his eyes.

"_Emrys...?_" Mordred asked, worried over the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings that rushed untamed through the other's mind. Slowly Merlin turned his head to gaze at him, his eyes lighting up in recognition.

"Mordred..." He attempted to croak out, voice cracking with the two months of silence. The boy smiled almost shyly at his brother and squeezed his hand gently.

"Merlin?" Lancelot called anxiously, putting himself into the warlock's line of sight.

'_Lancelot? It's good to finally see you again._' Merlin resorted to thinking at him.

"You've had us all worried you know."

'_Sorry..._'

"What's going on?" Gwaine asked, confused by the, from what he could hear, one sided conversation.

'_Ah, you must be Sir Gwaine._' Merlin thought, this time to the newest of their group.

"Wow..." His astonishment was met by an infectious smile that soon had the rest of the group grinning like idiots too.

"_We are not far from crossing the border into Cenred's kingdom, young warlock._"

'_Then we should do so first thing tomorrow. And Kilgharrah... thank you._' The ancient beast bore its fangs in a smile.


	13. Chapter 10

Thank you to everyone who has given me such a warm welcome back to writing. I have been suffering with the most awful writer's block for at least a year now but have finally found some inspiration to continue this fanfiction and hopefully this will eventually carry over to my other stories as well in the near future.

And also thank you for all the reviews for the last few chapters:  
>Rya3SaberVltar; Random; Uchiha Bara; WingsofaBelle; Maverick14th; Guest; icarusLSU; curious to a fault; shadowchylde; incognito; Peridot15; Kage Kaze Kitsune; Kythryl; MorbidApocalypse; Magick and Music; The Band of Thieves; Robin2Nightwing; ...<p>

"Talking aloud."  
>"SEVERAL TALKING AT ONCE."<br>"_Taking aloud and within the mind."  
>'Talking into another's mind.'<br>Thinking to themselves._

Lord of Dragons and Riders  
>Chapter 10<span>

That night they all slept peacefully, Gwaine, Lancelot and then Kilgharrah took turn keeping watch. Merlin had quickly drifted from consciousness after a filling meal of rabbit stew of which Mordred had felt the minds of near their camp and had directed Gwaine towards their meal.

When the sun rose bringing the birds' songs with it Merlin woke. Weakly propping himself up he saw the others were yet to wake, except Kilgharrah who's giant golden eyes studied him carefully.

'_Morning._' Merlin thought, not wanting to wake the others, something he abandoned when Kilgharrah did not bother with the courtesy.

"_And a promising day is to follow, young warlock. How do you feel?_"

"It seems the time outside my body has left it weak." At the dragons raised brow beneath the golden scales he amended his answer with a pout. "...Weaker..."

"_Then it would be for the best that you fly with me till we have crossed the border, after that you can walk with the others to help on the road to recovery and regain your muscles' strength._"

It was to the sounds of their voices that Gwaine woke. Without all but drowning himself in alcoholic beverages every night, he found he was quite capable of being a morning person, at least with his definition of a morning person being someone who woke before noon and without a pounding headache.

He would have rolled over and slept till another forced him to rise if he had not let his curiosity at the final member of the group get the better of him. He figured he could get some chatter in before the others stirred.

Sitting up he groggily called out a morning greeting with a disarming smile stretching his lips before he succumbed to a jaw cracking yawn.

"Morning."

"_Good morning young knight._" Merlin and Kilgharrah reciprocated.

"So... what's on the agenda today, other than more walking?" Gwaine asked rubbing at his blurry eyes.

"We must cross the border to Essetir as soon as possible. Once we have done so we will be out of Camelot's jurisdiction and into Cenred's land where they at least cannot prosecute us for our abilities with magic."

Gwaine nodded thoughtfully. "And our destination is...?"

"I know not." Merlin said without a care. "All I can say is something continues to call to me from the west. I will follow it however far is needed."

Gwaine continued to study Merlin's face, incredulous of the warlock's words. Pushing aside thoughts of an aimless journey, he began to probe for more information.

"So what do I call you: Merlin or Emrys?"

The boy looked thoughtful for a moment before his reply. "Merlin is the name my mother bestowed upon me at birth. Emrys, on the other hand, was my title before even then. It is what the Druids and others of the magical community have prophesised as the very definition of my being and destiny."

"So Emrys is the equivalent of lordship or the like?"

Kilgharrah chortled. "_Ah, but he is a Lord; Lord of the last of the most noble of race that shall die with me._"

"A _Dragon_ Lord?" Gwaine was shocked but realised it did explain the presence of the dragon. "I thought they were extinct, hunted like your own, Kilgharrah? And is Mordred one as well? Is it the privilege of the warlocks?"

"_He _is_ a Lord of my kind young knight, but Merlin is the last of mine kin of human flesh, just as I am the last of his scaled kin. Mordred is but a warlock, rare yes, but he is not one of my own._"

"About that, Kilgharrah, since coming into my heritage I have come to notice a connection between us that only seems to grow larger the longer I spend with you, especially during the time I dwelled in your mind..."

"_Ah yes, that would be the bond between a dragon and lord-_" Merlin cut him off before the ancient beast could delve deeper into his explanation.

"I had already surmised as much, however the point I was getting to is this: I feel another 'bond' as you put it."

The golden dragon looked shocked. "_But you have not met another dragon, let alone there be any other of my kind for you to have met... unless..._"

"What?"

"_The rules magic has always followed tend to bend for the warlocks, and for you they seem to go out of their way to achieve the impossible._" Kilgharrah paused, eyeing Merlin in wonder.

"_There was a story my father told me once, it was of a Dragon Lord that went to great lengths to protect a Dragon's egg. He designed his own place of rest years before his time in this world was at an end, with the real purpose of keeping the egg safe for years to come. His intention was to keep it away from the greed of humans who did not understand the nature of my kind._"

"So you are saying Merlin here is somehow connected to this egg you speak of?" Gwaine said, reminding them of his presence.

"_What I believe is, as impossible as it should be; Merlin here has a bond with a dragon that he has never met, let alone it having even hatched into being... The Dragon Lord I speak of went by the name Ashkanar, and the egg ought to be found within his Tomb. It is not far from here, but it will delay our journey as it lies in the north of Essetir..._"

Merlin did not hesitate to respond.

"Then I guess there is a new addition to today's agenda, Gwaine. A detour has become necessary."

The impish twinkle in Merlin's eye was enough to leave Gwaine smirking with his own mischievous nature awakening. He just knew that any time spent with these new companions would leave him devoid of a single day of boredom.


	14. Chapter 11

Thanks for all those who read chapter 10, especially those that took the time to review:  
>icarusLSU; Rya3SaberVltar and 2 guests<p>

And now, on with the chapter!

Lord of Dragons and Riders  
>Chapter 11<p>

The tomb of Ashkanar was an impressive sight consisting of a stone tower protruding above the surrounding forest and high into the sky above; so high that from the base they had to squint to see the top.

Merlin had travelled to the ancient Dragon Lord's resting place upon the back of Kilgharrah accompanied, after much debate, by Lancelot.

They had had to fly against some strong head winds along the way leaving them a fair bit behind the time they had estimated. However if the winds did not change they should be able to get back on schedule with the airstream behind them, thus helping them on their way for the return flight and catching up with the others who continued on their journey west.

"_The tomb will be riddled with traps to not only deter but stop with increasingly lethal force the closer you get to the egg._" Kilgharrah warned as the warlock and future knight slipped from his back, down his scaled side and to the moss infested ground beside the entrance. "_Do be careful._"

"I will take good care of him." Lancelot promised, his arm wrapped around his friends waist and Merlin's arm around his shoulder to support his weakened form.

Under the dragon's watchful eyes they made their way to the edge of the rocky foundation the tower was set on. Lancelot climbed up swiftly and then turned to pull Merlin up behind him. They then entered the first of many passages to come, and were out of the great beast's sight.

-x-

It was after having navigating the maze of passages for some time that Merlin and Lancelot came across a door with a strange symbol marked out on the front. The indent of three swirls was an unusual design and immediately drew the eye.

"This is obviously of some importance." Lancelot stated.

"Yes. I am sure it is some form of lock, however we have no key."

Lancelot looked around for some inspiration before noticing some strange carvings on one of the walls.

"Hey Merlin, have a look at this." He said and turned whilst continuing to support the warlock so they were facing said wall.

Merlin considered the markings as he studied them carefully.

"It is a riddle in the runes of old." He explained, eyebrows furrowed.

"Well what does it say?"

"_He who breathes the noble tongue,  
>May he enter as a welcomed son,<br>But even kin must be aware,  
>They be tested if proceed they dare.<em>"

"Wow, real welcoming of this Ashkanar fellow."

"I presume this means Dragon Lords are free to enter and no key is required."

"That still does not answer how we are to get in... Repeat it for me?" Merlin did so and Lancelot considered the lines again carefully. "It says we will be tested so I presume the traps will still be active; if we get in that is."

"There's a dragon." Merlin said pointing out another tiny carving this tine set above the entrance. The figure was indeed an intricate design depicting a vigilant dragon whose sightless eyes felt like they bore into their own.

"It looks so realistic." Lancelot murmured.

Merlin took a wobbly step toward it and his friend hastened to help him.

"**Dracan, έχω την εντολή σας. Ανοίξτε το μπλοκ που μου διαδρομή.**" (Dragon, I command you. Open that which blocks my path.)

"It... blinked..." Lancelot said in a daze as, indeed, the carving had blinked. The dragon became animated and turned its head downward letting out a roar of carved flames that writhed across the stone to consume the entrance. Once the whole surface was nothing but a mass of squiggling lines it slid to the side to reveal a set of winding stairs that twisted out of sight.

Warily Lancelot entered first and paused briefly, eyeing the scene for any sign of traps. Seeing nothing obvious he began to turn back to help Merlin when he heard a hiss from above. Looking up sharply he was quickly smothered by a cloud of gas. The last this he knew of was Merlin's startled cry of his name.

-x-

Merlin was snapped out of his horror when the cloud of gas continued to spread toward his self. Instinctively his hand rose and his magic pushed the substance away at dizzying speeds and out of sight.

He then practically fell forwards to his knees at his friend's side, turning Lancelot's head towards him and checking him over swiftly. He also got a lingering whiff of the gas and he was relieved to find he recognised it to be a substance commonly used to knock people out for surgery, something Gaius has used on occasion. He confirmed that that was all that was wrong with Lancelot before, with much effort, he pushed himself back to his feet. With a last glance back he began his slow assent leading him further into the tower of the tomb.

It was a long half hour later that Merlin finally reached the top and looking out a slim window in the landing space he estimated he was probably at the very top of the tower. Ahead of him was an archway and stumbling forward the warlock found it to be the entrance to a grand chamber.

And at the centre, raised upon a platform, was a pearly white egg.

He made his way across the stone floor and held out shaky hands to grasp the object of his desire.

Slowly, with a smile gracing his lips, he lifted the egg.

Followed by a near silent click...

-x-

Lancelot came round with his head pounding. The first thought was that of Merlin and he called out for his friend only to hear nothing but the echo of his own voice in reply.

The future knight struggled to his feet and quickly regained his bearing. He then swept the area for any sign of the warlock and came to the conclusion that Merlin must have gone on ahead and so made quickly for the stairs.

It took him a few minutes to make his way up the winding staircase but he soon came across the young warlock lifting what he presumed to be the dragon's egg from a stand. Merlin's smile was enough to bring one to his own lips.

It was soon wiped from his face, however, when he heard a rumbling from above them.

Reluctantly looking up he was dismayed to see the ceiling above them cracking before a large piece broke away from the rest and began its descent to the chamber below.

Right to where Merlin stood also gazing up, frozen in horror.

"MERLIN!" Lancelot shouted out and it seemed to snap him out of it.

His bony hand reached upward as though the fragile appendage were to hold the rock in place. And indeed the rock did freeze in place leaving Lancelot briefly shocked before he shook it off and called out once more.

"MERLIN! WE HAVE TO GO! THIS WHOLE PLACE IS COLAPSING!" They could both feel the ground shaking beneath their feet and more and more chunks of stone began to rain down on them. Merlin managed to keep a few more from falling far but by the sixth and largest chunk yet he was sweating and fell to his knees.

Lancelot rushed forward and lifted his friend, wrapping an arm around his waist and practically dragging him toward the stairs until part of the caving ceiling fell, fell past Merlin's defence, and blocked their path with them only narrowly dodging.

Another fell and this time one of the outer walls crumbled behind its weight and the whole tower seemed to lurch to the side.

"Come on Merlin, think of something!" Lancelot knew it was unfair to put all the pressure on the Dragon Lord but he himself was preoccupied dodging the few but deadly rocks that managed to make it past the magic shield above them.

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't-"

'_Merlin...?_'


End file.
